New to Comiccons?

A Comiccon, (short for Comic Convention), is where fans of specific tv shows, films or fictional characters gather en mass with other fans.  Many Comiccon goers choose to dress up like their favourite characters, but dressing up is not compulsory if you want to attend a Comiccon.

Comiccons tend to have vendors with stalls who sell themed items.  Traditionally the stalls were comic vendors, who specialised in old or hand to get comics, but in recent years Comiccon vendors sell a huge amount of different items including statuettes, artwork, handmade crafts, all of which is themed towards whichever Comiccon they are trading at.  If you are looking for a specific old toy from Doctor Who, a statue of your favourite anime character or maybe a signed photo from a celebrity from a recent sci-fi TV show, the best place to check would be at a Comiccon.

Larger Comiccons will also have guests who have been in TV shows or and films who you can pay to meet and get an personalised autograph from.  The guests may also take part in live Q&A panels where you can ask them a question directly, or in photo shoots where you can pay to have your photo taken with them.

This is entirely up to you.  Whether you go in your own clothes or dressed like a superhero, you will be accepted.  Nobody will judge you for how you want to dress, so wear whatever you feel comfortable wearing.

Many Comiccon visitors will choose to dress up like their favourite character, whether that is a superhero, a dinosaur or a character from a computer game, and many who do this will also take part in a Cosplay competition.  Cosplay Competitions, (short for Costume Play Competition), is where people show off how good their costume is on stage.

But wear whatever you want to wear, nobody will judge you.

The best place to check which guests will be at a Comiccon is on the website for that Comiccon, the Comiccon's Facebook Page or on the Comiccon's Twitter feed.  Facebook Pages and Twitter feeds tend to be updated more frequently than websites, so you should check both of those first.  A few guests tend to be announced shortly after the date of the Comiccons has been announced, but the majority of guests will be confirmed a couple of months before the event date.

Guests will tend to have their own table at Comiccons where you can approach them.  You will have the opportunity to get their autograph or get a photo with them at their table, but there will be a charge for these.

If the guest has a table at the Comiccon, you will be able to approach them for a quick chat and have the opportunity to buy an autograph.  You don't have to take anything with you for them to sign unless you want them to sign something specific, because they will have a selection of pre-printed photos on their desk that you can chose from and these are all included in the autograph price.

Autographs and/or a selfies are usually cash only, so make sure you take money.  Some Comiccons have the option to pre-buy an autograph on their website, so you don't have to carry money around.  If you do pre-buy an autograph make sure you take a printout of your confirmation to the Comiccon with you, because you will need to hand it in to claim your autograph.  Showing your confirmation on your phone will not be allowed.

Prices for autographs and selfies can vary wildly depending on the popularity of the guest, with the majority of TV stars being between £20 and £60.  If the guest is more well known for being in a popular film, prices can be higher.

Some guests will charge more if you don't want the autograph personalised to you because they may think you are looking to get their autograph just so you can sell it, and some will charge more if you want them to autograph a specific collectible because their autograph on it may increase it's sale value.

The first option is to take a selfie with a guest, although this is also usually something you would need to pay for.  There will often be a pricing chart on the guests table showing how much it costs for a selfie.  Not all guests allow selfies, so please check the sinage at their table before whipping your phone out.

Larger Comiccons often have the option to get a professional photo taken of you with a guest.  If you want to get a professional photo you will need to pre-buy this via the Comiccons website, and take a printout of your confirmation with you on the day.  Professional photos are not a meet and greet as such, in that you will only get a maximum of 30 seconds to pose with the guest and get photographed.  You then head out and collect your photo from the print area.

Some big Comiccons have Q&A panels with guests, or will have a Q&A which includes a few guests from a particular TV show.  Entry to the Q&As are usually free because they are included in the price of the Comiccon ticket.

The Comiccon will publish a schedule for the day detailing when each Q&A will start and whether it is with one specific person or with a few members of the same TV show or film cast.  Each Q&A session will typically last 30-45 minutes. Usually Q&A's start with the host posing a few questions to the guest, with the second half of the Q&A open for any audience members to ask a question directly to the guest.

The host will chat to the guest on stage for 10-20 minutes, after which they will usually ask the audience if they have any questions.  Some Comiccons require you to raise your hand so a member of staff can bring a microphone to you, and some Comiccons have a few microphones positioned around the room that you can queue at to take your turn asking questions.  If you want to ask a question you may be best finding a seat near the end of a row so you can easily get to or easily be handed a microphone.

If you are a member of the audience you can usually take photos at Q&As using your phone.  You can also take a camera into the auditorium to take photos, as long as you don't also take a tripod.

Some venues allow filming and some don't.  At the start of each Q&A the host will let you know if filming is not allowed.  At Q&As the guests can occasionally accidentally say things that they don't want putting online, like accidental spoilers for upcoming TV shows, and these details shared online could be problematic for them.  Most Q&As are filmed by the Comiccon organiser anyway, so as much of the Q&A as possible will be available online shortly after the Comiccon ends.

Cosplay is where a person will dress up to resemble like their favourite fictional character.

If you want to take a photo of a Cosplayer, ask them first.  You wouldn't assume you have the right to point a camera at a stranger outside, so please don't assume you have the right to do it inside an event.

Cosplay is not consent - more on this below...

Cosplay is not consent.  Just because someone chooses to dress like their favourite fictional character, that doesn't mean they will be ok with you taking unsolicited photos of them, or touching or hugging them without warning.  If you want to take a photo of or with someone in Cosplay, ask them.  They have the right to either say yes or no.  Most will say yes and gladly strike a pose for you, but not all Cosplayers who attend Comiccons do so for public displays.  A few go to Comiccons and dress up because that is where they feel the most comfortable, and we need to respect that.

It is important to note that the same is true for Cosplayers touching non-cosplay visitors.  If you are dressed in Cosplay, this does not give you the right to touch fellow visitors who are not dressed in Cosplay.  Consent goes both ways.  Just because the character you have dressed up as may be well known, this also does not give you the instant right to touch other attendees.  Whether you are dressed like a character from a Horror film or as a cute bear, the same rules stand - no touching.

Making contact with someone else, whether either of you are in Cosplay or not, is always something that you need to be mindful not to do.  Always check with the other person first and respect their decision.